OLD GOA
Election to the managing committee of the Dhado Khazan Tenants Association was held in the presence of heavy police security at the Carambolim panchayat hall on Tuesday, even as aggrieved farmers protested the conduct of the polls without updating the voter’s list.
Old Goa PI Krishna Sinari, Joint Mamlatdar Dattaraj Dessai and a large police team were present at the election venue to maintain law and order.
Appalled at the presence of a large police force, activist Tara Kerkar alleged that it only points to the misuse of power, as has been alleged by aggrieved farmers.
“Today, it has become abundantly clear that the government machinery will go to any extent to protect the interests of a few while depriving the real farmers of their rights,” Kerkar alleged and decried the holding of the election by force.
“Our demand was that the voter’s list be updated first as out of the 281 members more than 200 have expired and the heirs are awaiting inclusion of their names in the member’s list,” Kerkar added and opined that the poor turnout of only 31 members is a proof that a majority number of members have expired.
Meanwhile, all members of the managing committee of the tenants association were elected unopposed, with Nazareth D’Mello elected as chairman, Tulsidas Gaude (vice-chairman), Sandip Murgaonkar (treasurer), Ajay Naik (secretary) and Suresh Naik (attorney).
However, the aggrieved farmers led by Caetano D’Mello have said that they will challenge the elections which were held without updating the voter’s list.
“We will definitely challenge the outcome in the court as majority of the members on the voter’s list have expired and the Tiswadi Mamlatdar’s order to include the name of the heirs have not been adhered to,” D’Mello added.
D’Mello further pointed out that while the names of the dead have been included, some names of farmers who are alive have been fraudulently deleted.
“A case in point is that of 72-year-old Babal Mulgaonkar, who was a member of the tenants association. But today, his name does not figure in the voter’s list,” he said.
Mulgaonkar, on his part, said despite being a member of the tenants association in the past, his name is not included in the voters’ list.
“While the names of the dead have been included, the names of the living are missing,” he quipped.
